A borough council business case for a new GP surgery in Wootton estimates the capital cost at nearly £5 million, but councillors have raised concerns about a £96,000 income gap.
The proposal would replace the current temporary buildings that the practice has used for 20 years.
In December 2025, the council’s Executive approved the allocation of £4.86 million from its Primary Care Estate capital allocation, with the scheme proposed for Bedford Commercial Park.
A report presented to Monday’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (9 February) said that the anticipated construction timeline gives a start date of January 2027 and an end date of October 2028.
Cllr Dylan Simmons (Conservative, Bromham) said: “That sounds really positive, better now than later, but obviously, an anticipated start and end dates are only as good as our ability to keep up with them.
“What commitments are you getting from officers and from the ICB (Integrated Care Board) that these dates will not slip and the residents of Wootton and the surrounding parishes… will get access to this GP surgery at the date specified,” he asked.
Cllr Martin Towler (Conservative, Riseley), the portfolio holder for neighbourhoods and communities: health and wellbeing, said: “Wootton was never one of the ICB’s priorities.
“Bedford Borough made it one of our priorities.
“The present surgery… was falling apart, and it’s not fit for purpose, but we have endeavoured to find a new site.
“We’re waiting to arrange with the developer to move on to that site.
“So it’s moving forward, we’ll be going for planning permission soon.”
Income gap
An issue raised in the report is the gap between the rent funding currently allocated by the ICB and the expected revenue cost of the new building.
The ICB has £78,500 allocated annually, while the annual revenue cost is estimated at £174,618, leaving an income gap of £96,118.
Cllr Sue Abood (Lib Dem, Wootton and Kempston Rural) wondered how ICB funding would “trickle down” to local areas once the new “super ICB” is implemented in a few months.
“Do we know yet what kind of effect this super Eastern Region ICB is going to have on the funds that trickle down to a local level?” she asked.
“Are priorities going to be looked at from a much higher level than the BLMK level that they’ve currently been looked at?
“I know it’s not for implementation for another couple of months, but that’s still leaving me with some uncertainty as to what things will look like… when this new ICB comes into being.
“At the moment, the ICB can’t afford that increase of £96,000 a year for the rent for a new building, and that’s my concern. Where is that money coming from?
“Because we can build it, but if it can’t be funded that’s another issue. Will we fall even further down the list once we’re part of this much bigger conglomerate”?
Alex Wrack, the project manager for the project, said the ICB had been consistent with Wootton not being a priority.
“The idea was that the CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) money would offset some of the rent rate,” Ms Wrack said.
CIL is a charge that local authorities in England and Wales impose on new developments to fund infrastructure, such as schools, transport, and community facilities.
“I know that our projects have been a high priority because of the amount of time that we’ve put into them, and because of our strategic health estates board,” she added.
“That’s really helped to drive the work forward, and that’s why we wanted to have a kind of oven-ready business case.”
Additional services?
Cllr Abood also argued that residents would benefit from additional services beyond GP appointments.
“Providing adequate GP surgeries reduces the pressure on the hospital and other secondary healthcare services,” the councillor said.
“If the ICB are listening, we could do with more than just GP surgery in Wootton. We could do with various other health options, blood tests, for example.
“Providing more than just the standard care of the GP surgery would be appreciated to take some of that pressure off the hospital and other healthcare services,” she said.
The council report states that a final decision to progress the scheme will depend on negotiations with the ICB and the signing of an Agreement for Lease with the GP practice.
by John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
